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Pastimes : Murder Mystery: Who Killed Yale Student Suzanne Jovin? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Janice Shell who wrote (1162)1/5/2004 7:34:25 PM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1397
 
Re: Timeline and Map

9:10 - Jovin logs off her computer in her apartment

Source: Suzanna Andrews in Vanity Fair.

9:14 - Jovin starts walking to Phelps Gate

We know Jovin wrote at least one message to a friend saying she'd leave books for the friend in her (Jovin's) lobby downstairs. Although Jovin reportedly was in no hurry, let's assume she immediately turned off her computer, grabbed the books, locked her apartment door, walked down the stairs, set the books down in the lobby, and headed out. I'm estimating this would have taken two minutes. Had she made a phone call, used the bathroom, put on her shoes or other clothing, etc., we could be talking a total of four minutes or so instead.

9:22 - Jovin meets and talks to Peter Stein (approximately 30 yards from Phelps Gate)

The most direct route from Jovin's apartment to Phelps Gate would have taken 6-8 minutes to walk depending on pace and the time spent waiting to cross two streets. I know from talking to Stein that he wandered around a bit before heading home and calling his mother which phone records allegedly confirm was at 9:30pm. After retracing his route home and accounting for time to enter his apartment and call home I concluded it likely took him 8 minutes. So this time is estimated from both directions.

9:24 - Jovin returns keys after a brief talk with Stein and heads through Phelps Gate

I'm including a one minute conversation with Stein and the time it took to walk the additional steps to the police substation, enter it and deposit the keys, and then continue through Phelps Gate.

9:26 - Jovin reported seen walking north on College St.

Note that this witness gives a 9:25-30 timeframe. I'm erring on the side of caution.

9:30 - Jovin enters Krauszers to buy a soda

I'm figuring it took about 4 minutes for Jovin to have walked from College Street near Elm to Krauszers. Had Jovin stopped to pick up or read the New Journal (a magazine it appears she also possessed when she was accosted), or had she been delayed at a street crossing, the journey may have taken longer.

9:33-9:36 - Jovin exits Krauszers with a Fresca

It was a Friday night and it was likely crowded, so hard to tell how long the wait might have been.

9:35-9:38 - Jovin abducted

No matter which route to Jovin's apartment I walked, be it cutting through colleges or continuing to walk up Elm, it took me about three minutes. Thus, she was likely accosted within minutes after leaving Krauszers.

9:43-9:46 - Jovin left at crime scene

It tool me about 8 minutes to drive from the vicinity of Krauszers to the crime scene. We know a tan/brown van was seen stopped near the intersection of the crime scene, so if Jovin were in that van it might have been for several minutes until the coast was clear.

9:55 - 911 call

We don't know for how long Jovin was likely lying near the street before someone passed by and noticed her. A woman physician allegedly tried to revive Jovin prior to the 911 call, so perhaps that took five minutes.

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         |        |    W|   /B
    Howe | St     |    h|  /r    
---------|--------|    a/ /o    
        1|--------|   l/ /a     
\   Park | St 2   |  l/ /d      
-\----------------|-e/ /w      
  \              7|y/ /a*      
   \   York St 6  |/ /y      |  
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 C |              |E   |W    |G         |                         
 h |   High St    |l   |a    |r         |      |                                  |      |
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 p |              |    |l    |v tery  /   |    \S      |       /-->--|>-->-|--/   |      |    |
 e |      3       |S   |     |e------/----------|a----/->-->--/      |     |      |      v R  |
-l-|------4-----5-|t---|S----|  Prospect St     |c   |               |-----|Edgehill Rd 8| o  |
   |  College St  |    |t    |S      |Hillhouse |h   |   St Ronan St |     |  /---|------|-c--|
 S |  (NH Green)  |    |     |t------|----------|e   |       /-------|-----|-/    |     9| k  |
-t-|--------------|----|-----|-------|+         |m   |---*--/        |-----|      |      |    |
   | Temple St    |    |     |       |/--------------|---------------|-------------------|-R----
---|--------------|----|-----|------/|   Whitney Ave |        Whitney|Ave                | d
   | Church St    |    |     |


1 = Yale lot where SJ parked borrowed Yale car
2 = SJ's apartment
3 = Peter Stein sees SJ here just outside Phelps Gate
4 = Phelp's Gate where SJ drops off keys to borrowed car
5 = SJ last seen walking on College towards Elm *prior* to crossing Elm
6 = Krauszers mart where SJ likely bought a Fresca
7 = Possible abduction spot
8 = Where tan/brown van spotted parked
9 = Crime scene (about 2 miles from Phelps Gate)

- Jeff



To: Janice Shell who wrote (1162)1/5/2004 8:40:06 PM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell  Respond to of 1397
 
Maybe she'd even bought something relatively heavy or bulky, and so accepted when someone offered her a lift. In this scenario, these additional items would have been left in her abductors' car.

Jovin had just come from a dinner party this decreases the odds she decided to buy some items for dinner or a snack, especially at 9:30pm. If we assume she needed some items for general (later) use, then it would seem more logical she'd have either bought them while doing shopping for the party or when she had the car so she could transport them more easily. Since her apartment was three minutes away, I doubt she'd have needed or accepted a ride if asked. However, I do agree that perhaps she might have caught the attention of her eventual abductors while entering, exiting, or shopping at Krauszers. The problem would then be where their vehicle was parked and how to get Jovin to it, so, again, I'd rank this a lower probability than just walking by the vehicle. Krauszers had video surveillance with a tape that recycled, so had the police traced the Fresca to Krauszers earlier, they might have been able to seize the tape. As far as I know, they never checked receipts to see who might have bought a Fresca at around 9:30 that evening.

If you're crazy enough to go on an improv killing spree, you're crazy enough to believe you'll get away with it. As in fact happened. The chances of anyone actually recognizing the abductors would have been very slim. Their real problem would have been the car's license plate, which someone might have written down. But I very much doubt that this was a violent abduction: if it had been, Jovin would immediately have dropped the Fresca bottle and whatever else she'd bought in order to fight off her attackers.

Fear of license plate identification long ago led me to believe the van might have been stolen. Via the Freedom of Information Act I was able to obtain a list of all vehicles reported stolen or recovered around the date of the murder. Although the listing was vague (no makes, models, colors, etc.), none looked suspicious to me. It may well be the plates were stolen instead.

As for whether someone accosted might have dropped a soda bottle, it's hard to say. If you kept your wits and decided to fight, of course you'd have dropped it. However, if you became numb with fear, as many people do, then you might have just followed orders in a daze.

The position of the palm print on the bottle could offer some clues, however... btw, I forget: where was the bottle found?

First off, I erred in saying it was a palm print. I just assumed that was why it was considered a partial print. So, I'm not really sure what part of the had was captured.

As for the bottle position at the crime scene, it was just a few feet away from Jovin in the bushes that were further away (than her) from the road. Having seen the crime scene I'm going to say it's more consistent with being tossed there than dropped.

Recall that the NHPD plunked down a copy of New Journal in front of Jim when they were interrogating him as if that was somehow supposed to jog his memory. We're guessing that it might have also been found at the crime scene. If so, it might imply the killers tossed out whatever belongings she had in the car, which then imply that's all the belongings she was carrying.

- Jeff


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